Received: from mtiwmhc23.worldnet.att.net (mtiwmhc23.worldnet.att.net [204.127.131.48]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g6O84Vt23922 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 24 Jul 2002 01:04:31 -0700 Received: from acer ([12.81.1.63]) by mtiwmhc23.worldnet.att.net (InterMail vM.4.01.03.27 201-229-121-127-20010626) with SMTP id <20020724080424.LRFI6994.mtiwmhc23.worldnet.att.net@acer> for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 24 Jul 2002 08:04:24 +0000 Message-ID: <001101c232e9$0d978dc0$3f01510c@acer> From: "John Mariani" <[[email protected]]> To: "South-bay-birds" <[[email protected]]> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 01:06:41 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4807.1700 Subject: [SBB] Great-tailed Grackles at Almaden Lake Park (they're back), etc. Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Howdy South-bay-birders, Tuesday afternoon I stopped at Almaden Lake Park. Lots of post-breeding activity was going on. Recently fledged WESTERN KINGBIRDS (stubby-tailed youngsters) were begging to be fed in eucs by the east parking area. Where the creek flows into the lake there is a muddy bar where FORSTER'S TERNS, CALIFORNIA and RING-BILLED GULLS, and this year's crop of sub-adult COMMON MERGANSERS were all lounging about. Also on the muddy bar I saw a female GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE. Later on I saw a male grackle fly to the vegetated island in the middle of the lake, and again saw the female (or possibly a third grackle?) over on the west side of the lake. Maybe they are again attempting to breed here, or could they be dispersing to here from elsewhere? The egrets continue their nesting activity on the island. There were plenty of recently fledged SNOWY EGRETS hanging around. Watched a couple of the juveniles chase an adult Snowy around the lake, and one managed to get its beak down the adult's throat briefly at one point. The adult definitely seemed ready to cut the apron strings... Just a short distance upstream from the footbridge, where there are lerp-infested eucalyptus beside the path and a big patch of fruiting blackberries on the other side of the creek, there was some major bird activity going on. LOTS and LOTS of HOODED and BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were coming to both the blackberries and the eucs. I saw adult BULLOCK'S feeding some very grayish nondescript fledglings down by the creek--most of the orioles there were young ones (I didn't see adult males of either species--possibly they depart sooner than the females and young?). In addition to the orioles (which were everywhere!) the same bushes and trees attracted 2-4 WESTERN TANAGERS and mobs of STARLINGS. There was also a CALIFORNIA THRASHER calling from atop a small willow there, a family of CALIFORNIA QUAIL were moving through the undergrowth, and a few NUTMEG MANNIKINS were flitting around too. Monday while driving to work I looked up and saw a couple of COMMON RAVENS flying over Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos, only the second time I've seen them there-- John Mariani [[email protected]] www.birdswest.com Received: from merlin.arc.nasa.gov (merlin.arc.nasa.gov [128.102.219.21]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g6OFbut29684 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 24 Jul 2002 08:37:56 -0700 Received: from merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV by merlin.ARC.NASA.GOV (PMDF V6.1 #46498) id <[[email protected]]> for [[email protected]]; Wed, 24 Jul 2002 08:37:44 -0700 (PDT) Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 08:37:44 -0700 (PDT) From: [[email protected]] To: [[email protected]] Cc: [[email protected]] Message-id: <[[email protected]]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Subject: [SBB] - Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Folks: Yesterday, 7/23/2002, I saw a female LESSER SCAUP with five downy young (diving like troopers) at the west end of the North Pond of the Palo Alto FCB. This is a typical date for this late-nesting diving duck. Bill Received: from imo-r08.mx.aol.com (imo-r08.mx.aol.com [152.163.225.104]) by plaidworks.com (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g6OHqat00436 for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 24 Jul 2002 10:52:36 -0700 Received: from [[email protected]] by imo-r08.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v32.21.) id t.150.1156066f (3996) for <[[email protected]]>; Wed, 24 Jul 2002 13:52:24 -0400 (EDT) From: [[email protected]] Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 13:52:24 EDT To: [[email protected]] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Mailer: AOL 7.0 for Windows US sub 10509 X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative by demime 0.98b X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain Subject: [SBB] Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Coyote Point Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.5 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: All, A bit north of the south bay an adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, found yesterday by Ron Thorn, was still being seen this morning at the Coyote Point Marina in San Mateo County. heading north In Burlingame take the Peninsula Ave. exit, bearing sharply right to avoid the overpass, take Coyote Park Dr. left into the park. Park in the marina parking lot. The bird is being seen in and around the yacht harbor (actually on one of the boats this morning). Keep an eye out for other birders who might already have the bird in view. More locally, yesterday Frank Vanslager and I checked out the pond at State & Spreckles Ave in Alviso, New Chicago Marsh (lots of Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes), the EEC (lots of phalaropes in the southwest corner of Salt Pond A16, two adult Black Skimmers on the first island had at least one gawky looking youngster, another "pair " of BLSK were on the third island) and Arzino Ranch (lots of Burrowing Owls, mostly juveniles, including one "ball" of at least four tightly bunched juveniles looking like a ball of feathers). Our last stop was at Lake Almaden Park where we saw most of the birds already reported by John Mariani (did a quick look for the Grackles but it was getting hungry out, we didn't get to check the southwest corner). Best birds were the juvenile Western Kingbirds being fed in trees along the west side of the east parking lot, they really looked different. Take care, Bob Reiling, 10:53 AM, 7/24/02